Foster Care campaign launches in W.Va.
Mar. 7—By GREG JORDAN
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
PRINCETON — A statewide campaign started Wednesday to find more West Virginians willing to open their homes and hearts to children needing a stable place to live.
The West Virginia Department of Human Services, along with Aetna Better Health of West Virginia, Mission West Virginia, and 10 foster care agencies have joined in collaboration to launch a statewide campaign focused on recruiting foster parents and addressing the shortage of foster care placements in West Virginia.
The campaign's message targets single and married adults who have considered opening their home for foster care in the past but have not taken action to become qualified. Research indicates that it is common for individuals to consider fostering for months or even years before taking action.
"We want to recruit more and more foster parents in this state," Gov. Jim Justice said Wednesday during an administrative briefing. "These kids really need you."
Cynthia Persily, Ph.D., Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Human Services, said the initiative aims to demystify the process of becoming a foster family in West Virginia.
"By shedding light on the process, we empower families to better understand and navigate it," Persily said. "Expanding our state's pool of available foster parents will positively impact the children in need of stable, secure homes, and in turn, impact the future of our entire state."
The Children's Home Society of West Virginia, which serves the counties of Mercer, McDowell, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers and Wyoming, is a child placement agency which contracts with the state Department of Human Services.
"We contract with them and what happens is whenever a child is taken into care because various circumstances in the home make it unsafe for the child, this child is then taken into state custody with the DHS," said Child and Family Services Supervisor Jenna Miller. "Basically they call child placement agencies like Children's Home Society who have certified parents who are able to provide a home for that child. If we have a foster family that's a good fit for that child, then they'll be placed in one of our foster homes."
The society had received around 12 child referrals as of Wednesday, Miller said.
"And we're only halfway through the week. We're constantly looking for people who have a heart and are willing to open their home to provide a safe place," she said.
People interested in becoming foster parents can contact the Children's Home Society of West Virginia at 304-431-2424 or go to the society's website and fill out an application.
With many West Virginia children in need of safe and secure foster care placement, the campaign highlights the urgency of the issue as well as the crucial role that foster parents play in their communities and the state as a whole.
In order to encourage potential foster parents to take the next step on their foster care journey, the campaign promotes wefosterwv.org as a central resource that outlines the steps to become qualified, addresses common misconceptions about foster care, and features stories and quotes from foster care parents.
"'If you've ever considered fostering, West Virginia needs you now.' That's the message we want to communicate to people," said Rachel Kinder, Mission West Virginia Executive Director. "We know people can be intimidated by the thought of fostering, frequently worrying that they don't have enough resources or the right personality to open their home to a child or teen."
Mission West Virginia, a nonprofit organization dedicated to recruiting foster families, providing life skills education, and creating community connections is serving as the campaign hub to support interested individuals and connect the ten agencies to the recruitment database.
"Increasing the number of foster parents is critical to strengthening communities and healthy futures for West Virginians," said Kathy Szafran, Aetna Better Health of West Virginia Executive Director. "That's why we're proud to be supporting this collective effort."
This unprecedented statewide effort to recruit foster care parents is funded by Aetna Better Health of West Virginia, whose investment ensures the campaign will reach statewide audiences, including those in less populated rural areas that are most in need of foster care placements.
The West Virginia Department of Human Services (DoHS) provides a wide range of necessary and life-saving services to many West Virginia residents. DoHS includes the Bureau for Social Services, Bureau for Medical Services, Bureau for Child Support Enforcement, Bureau for Family Assistance, Bureau for Behavioral Health, Office of Drug Control Policy, Commission to Study Residential Placement of Children, Family Protection Services Board, Catastrophic Illness Commission, and the West Virginia Women's Commission.
— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
